


Death Toll

by Ribby



Category: The Prestige
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-06
Updated: 2006-12-06
Packaged: 2017-10-15 10:47:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/160060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ribby/pseuds/Ribby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The toll must be paid, but who will pay it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Death Toll

**Author's Note:**

> A short snippet. This is likely the result of far too much time reading mythology as a child... but the idea wouldn't let me go! And *grin* slight apologies for the pun in the title.

Borden stood looking at his rival's body for a moment, scarcely feeling the heat of the growing flames. His hands in his pockets, he remembered, for a moment, what they had been to each other. Friends at first, growing to lovers briefly. Then friendly rivals... but that rivalry had turned sour and deadly, and given shape to their lives ever after. What they were to each other now bore little resemblance to what they had been, though whose fault it was, neither of them ever knew.

When he brought his hands out again, each hand held a bright, new-minted coin. Decisively, Borden knelt and closed Angier's eyes, blue-grey with shock and death, and placed a single coin upon each lid. One for the journey across the river, and one for the journey back... for the land of the dead held its own perils for those trapped there.

Oh, Borden believed--he had always believed, even when it was unfashionable. But part of him also appreciated the irony that Angier's toll would be paid with the coins of his profession... coins given by his closest friend and bitterest enemy.

He only hoped that when it was his time, someone would be there to pay his toll--and that when he joined Angier, time and death would have buried their feud.


End file.
